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It's official: President Obama nominates Ann Marie Buerkle to $155,000 per year post

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President Barack Obama today sent former U.S. Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle's name to the U.S. Senate as his nominee to serve as a Republican commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. She is shown here in July with Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, before the start of a rally held outside of Buerkle's campaign headquarters in DeWitt.
(John Berry / The Post-Standard)

Washington -- President Barack Obama today followed through with his intent to nominate former Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle to a commissioner's seat on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that pays $155,000 per year.

Obama sent Buerkle's name to the U.S. Senate, where she will face confirmation hearings that often delay appointments for months.

The president nominated Buerkle for a standard seven-year term on the commission, retroactive to Oct. 27, 2011. The White House said last night that Obama intended to nominate her to one of the commissioner's posts.

Buerkle, a Republican from Onondaga Hill, would fill the commissioner's seat left vacant by Anne M. Northup, a former Republican congresswoman from Kentucky, whose term had expired, the White House said.

Buerkle, in an interview today, said nobody should jump to conclusions that the appointment means she is giving up her career in politics.

"I don't think it means anything," Buerkle said. "The option to run is still on the table. It's something we're still exploring."

Buerkle said she is keeping the door open to a possible third campaign against Rep. Dan Maffei, D-DeWitt, for the Syracuse-area congressional seat in 2014. She also has not ruled out running for statewide office in New York.

The commissioners overseeing the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an independent federal agency, are prohibited by statute from holding political office. Buerkle said she is aware that she would have to resign the commissioner's post if she decides to run for an elected position.

The CPSC is allowed by statute to have up to five commissioners. No more than three of the commissioners can be from the same political party, with the majority of seats going to the president's party.

The recommendations for the minority party seats are typically made by the party's top Senator, in this case Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Buerkle said that McConnell's office contacted her in January or February and asked if she would be interested in interviewing for the commissioner's post.

As one of the most conservative members of Congress in 2011 and 2012, Buerkle railed against the size of government, federal regulations and spending. But she said it was her background as a registered nurse and lawyer in the healthcare field that probably made her an attractive recommendation for Republicans.

The woman she would replace on the commission, former Rep. Anne M. Northup, R-Ky., had been critical of the cost of some safety regulations on the toy industry. Northup this month joined the Washington law and lobbying firm of former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Buerkle said she would approach the commissioner's job without any particular agenda:
"All I know at this point is there is a consumer product safety law," she said. "Our job will be to uphold that law."

The commissioners are paid full-time salaries and are expected to attend regular meetings at Consumer Product Safety Commission headquarters in Bethesda, Md.

The commissioner's position is on the federal executive service pay scale, which ranges from $145,700 to $199,700 per year. A federal official said the commissioner's salary this year is expected to be $155,000.

Even after her appointment, Buerkle said she would plan to continue hosting a monthly radio show on WSYR-AM (570) that debuts at 11 a.m. Saturday. Buerkle said the inaugural one-hour paid program will focus on Memorial Day.

"We will feature those who have made the ultimate sacrifice," she said. "I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a great way to connect with the community."

Listeners will be able to call in to 421-9797 to speak with Buerkle on the air.

Buerkle said she would like to find enough sponsors to pay for the air time to make it a weekly show. She said her initial monthly sponsor will be Ziebart, an auto service company with nationwide stores including one on Hiawatha Boulevard in Syracuse.